Continuous positive airway pressure is a common modality for delivering oxygen therapy to the newborn via a nasal interface. While these patients can breathe spontaneously, their lungs are not developed enough to maintain the patency of the terminal air sacs. Since newborns tend to breathe through an open mouth, flow/pressure is lost from the oropharnynx. To overcome this defect chin support is needed so that the mouth is maintaining the closed position. A simple, compact, easily usable device is needed to achieve this objection.
There is need for apparatus as referred to, and particularly positioning and adjusting means, whereby the infant's chin is safely retained in mouth closing position. There is also need for such apparatus which does not slide back and forth on the infant's chin or neck, and which is easily adjustable to accommodate to various head sizes and shapes, and which provides additional advantages, as will appear.